Optical communication systems employ waveguides to carry optical channels. The waveguides preferably carry a plurality of optical channels in order to increase the capacity of the system. These channels are generated by lasers. Fabry-perot (FP) lasers emit a broad range of wavelengths but the emission spectrum is not easily controlled. The spectrum changes with temperature and current and is not capable of high-speed transmission or over long spans. In response, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers were generated. While DFB lasers are able to emit over a narrow spectrum they are only capable of generating a single wavelength channel. As a result, multiple DFB lasers are often employed to generate the desired number of channel. However, DFB lasers are substantially more expensive that FP lasers. As a result, using multiple DFB lasers can cause an undesirable increase in the cost of the system. Accordingly, there is a need for an economical optical device that can produce a plurality of channels such that each channel has a narrow range of wavelengths.